This invention relates generally to a retainer system for vending machine compartments and in particular to a retainers, which include aligned upper and lower connections to the wall to which they are attached, and ensures that the retainers are properly installed in a vertical orientation, and particularly to a retainer having a lower connection tab, which includes a spring clip to facilitate installation.
When vending machines of the type under consideration were first introduced they were intended primarily to vend soft drink products in 12 ounce aluminum cans. Such cans have a very stable geometry and rarely created a vend reliability problem.
With the advent of larger size plastic containers into the market place, for example 20 ounce bottles, problems were presented which were not encountered with metal cans. Originally, the bottles were vended in double-depth columns, one in the front and one in the rear. The retainer system used for this arrangement in the rear columns was in the form of a spring finger which was adequate for single and double-depth bottles. However, with the advent of the triple-depth columns with two columns at the rear, there was a need for a new retainer system since the old system was inadequate, unreliable, and unsuitable for triple-depth bottles.
The triple-depth vendor poses unique problems because of the double-depth bottles in the two rear columns. This arrangement introduces a vend reliability problem and also a visibility problem to the operator loading the vending machine because of the greater depth the rearmost columns required for the operator to reach. The original system does not work well for triple-depth bottles and results in vending problems such as the tendency for the bottles to xe2x80x9cnose divexe2x80x9d which eventually causes jams. This was one problem which had to be overcome. Another problem which had to be overcome was the placement of the retainer in correct vertical orientation. The old system provided upper and lower rows of slots which were hooked into by upper and lower hooks on the retainers, which are of considerable length, up to four feet long, which made it difficult to fit the upper and lower hooks into vertically aligned slots, particularly in view of the up and down motion required for installing hooks into both sets of slots. If the retainer is not in the correct vertically aligned slot then the compartment depth is different at the top and the bottom which can also cause the containers to nose dive and jam. Thus, there is a need, particularly in triple-depth compartment vending machines for a bottle separation retainer system which can be installed with ease and accuracy and increased vend reliability.
This retainer system solves these problems in a manner not revealed in the known prior art.
This spring clip retainer system provides a retainer having upper and lower connections to a vending machine compartment wall. The upper connection is in the form of a hook which engages one of a row of upper slots and the lower connection is in the form of a tab having a spring clip which interfits one of a row of lower slots, such that the upper hook is first hooked into position and when the retainer is swung into position, the tab with the spring clip can be easily pushed directly into place in an aligned lower slot.
Both the upper and lower rows of slots are disposed in staggered sets which facilitates the selection of the correct slot rather than one on either side of the correct one. Thus, because of this staggered slot arrangement and because of the equal vertical spacing of aligned upper and lower slots, is virtually impossible to misalign the upper and lower retainer connections.
This invention provides a retainer system for a vending machine storage compartment for containers, the retainer system comprising: a compartment wall having an upper connection means and a lower connection means, an elongate retainer having an upper connection means engageable with the upper connection means of the wall and a lower connection means engageable with the lower connection means of the wall for removably connecting the retainer to the compartment wall in selectively adjustable relation lengthwise of the wall; and the lower connection means of the wall and the lower connection means of the retainer cooperating to hold the lower connection means together resiliently against removal in a direction substantially perpendicular to the wall.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide that the upper connection means of the wall includes at least one slot and the lower connection means includes at least one slot; the upper connection means of the retainer includes a hook means received by an upper slot of the wall means; the lower connection means of the retainer includes a tab receivable by a lower slot of the wall means by pushing the tab inwardly into the slot; and holding means between the tab and the slot for resiliently holding the tab in place, the tab being releasable by pulling the tab outwardly with sufficient force to overcome the holding means.
It is another aspect of the invention to provide that the holding means includes spring means attached to the tab.
It is yet another aspect of the invention to provide that the spring means includes a generally U-shaped spring clip overfitting the tab and having a configuration which is compressible to be receivable within the slot when the tab is pushed into the slot and expandable to be retained within the slot until sufficient force is applied to the tab to depress the spring clip to permit withdrawal of the tab from the slot.
It is still another aspect of the invention to provide that the compartment wall upper connection means includes a slot; the compartment wall lower connection means includes a slot; the retainer upper connection means includes a hook received by the slot; and the retainer lower connection means include a resilient tab receivable by said slot in retained relation.
It is another aspect of the invention to provide that the compartment wall upper connection means includes a plurality of longitudinally staggered slots; the compartment wall lower connection means includes a plurality of longitudinally staggered slots aligned with the slots of the upper connection means; associated upper and lower aligned slots being spaced apart the same longitudinal distance; the retainer upper connection means includes a hook receivable by a wall upper connection slot; and the lower connection means includes a tab, the hook and the tab being longitudinally spaced apart to facilitate entry of the tab into its associated slot.
It is yet another aspect of the invention to provide that the clip includes front and rear interconnected portions overfitting the tab, one of said front and rear portions including a flanged end; and the tab includes a slot receiving the clip flange in retained relation.
This retainer system is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple to install and adjust and is very effective for its intended purpose.